matplotlib is a pure python 2D plotting library with a matlab syntax which produces publication quality figures using in a variety of hardcopy formats (PNG, JPG, TIFF, PS) and interactive GUI environments (WX, GTK) across platforms. matplotlib can be used in python scripts, interactively from the python shell (ala matlab or mathematica), in web application servers generating dynamic charts, or embedded in GTK or WX applications. http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net What's new WX python backend Jeremy O'Donoghue has done an amazing job implementing the backend for wxpython, with all the features such as interactive navigation that are supported in the GTk backend. matplotlib should not be available with a GUI anywhere wxpython, Numeric and python work, including linux and friends, win32, and Mac OS X. See http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/matplotlib.backends.backend_wx.html for a summary of known issues. Pseudo color plots The pcolor command generates pseudo color plots. See http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html#pcolor_demo and http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html#mri_with_eeg for screenshots and example code New time-series plotting functions * psd - plots the power spectral density of a time series * csd - plots the cross spectral density of two time series * cohere - plots the coherence See the examples dir in the src distro: psd_demo.py and csd_demo.py Substantially improved layout The transform architecture was refactored, allowing much more precise layout. Lines, patches, text, etc... can now be placed and scaled in arbitrary units, relative axes units, or physical size. Applicaiton programmers who want to create lines, patches and text directly using the API should read the transform module docs for more info. See the text help for an example of how to specify text locations in axes coords (0,0 is lower left and 1,1 is upper right) Expanded legend capabilities The legend class is improved, with a more sophisticated layout engine and the ability to accept lines and rectangle patches as an optional first argument to specify which lines/patches make up the legend. There are also additional legend placement locations, like 'upper center'. See http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html#legend_demo Expanded errorbar capabilities Gary Ruben contributed some code to support x and y errorbars, either symmetrix or asymettric, in one enhanced function 'errorbar'. See the errorbar_demo.py for examples of all the wild and wonderful errorbar styles. Bar charts can now also display errorbars; see http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html#barchart_demo Figure size and DPI controllable from matlab interface The figure command now takes optional args figsize and dpi to set the figure size and DPI in the matlab interface. This change involved some changes in the way default sizes and resolutions were handled among the various backends, with the effect that figures generated by existing scripts may appear different, eg, in the relative size of text to the figure elements. The advantage is that the current implementation does a better job of computing true sizes with increased fidelity between backends. Apologies for any inconveniences! API changes There have been some minor changes to the API for those using matplotlib embedded in GTK applications. * If you instantiate an Axes of Subplot intace, the first arg to __init__ must be the figure that contains it. * If you instantiate any artists, eg, Line2D, Rectangle, or AxisTextGTk, you must initialize them with their dpi, bbox, and transforms. See the help for the transforms modules and the examples logo.py and mri_with_eeg.py, where the objects are explicity created using the new API. * The only change to the matlab interface is in the signature of the errorbar func, which breaks matlab compatibility for the enhanced ability to do x and y errorbars. * See matplotlib.axes.py for a complete list of API changes John Hunter